Chimerical
by badcatbastet
Summary: Twenty years after recovering their bodies, Alphonse returns to Resembool to see his brother, bringing along a strange girl named Nina - a girl who happens to be a chimera. Nina, along with Edward Elric's only son, go on a journey to find the researchers who created her, establish their reputation as talented alchemists, and even find out more about themselves along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_Chimerical – Chapter One: Welcome Back_

"Welcome home, Uncle Al!"

"How was Xing this time around?"

"Did May come back with you?"

"Hey, move over, I want to see if I'm as tall as him yet!"

"Winry, get the extra china, we've got guests!"

The family of blondes crowded at the door in awe and excitement as Alphonse Elric walked up the stairs and onto the porch. Alphonse smiled and waved to his extended family - his dear brother Edward, loving sister-in-law Winry and of course to their children: Maes, Sara and Alexis. The children all stared at their traveling uncle with glistening eyes. Maes, being the eldest and only boy, stood behind his sisters as they ran to their uncle. He attempted to hide his own excitement from the family, but eventually, his feelings got the best of him and he joined in. Maes was a very tall young man and he took pride in his height considering all the stories he heard about how short his father used to be. Sara, the oldest daughter, managed to tackle Al and almost made him fall back down the stairs he had just climbed up. Alexis was the youngest and very small. All she could do was excitedly jump up and down next to her uncle, her expecting eyes hoping for a present from the land far off to the east.

This happened every time Al came home to the quiet town of Resembool. It had been three years since the younger Elric brother had been home last; almost matching the amount of time that passed after Edward become a state alchemist and returned home for repairs. Looking back, it seemed like that was a life led by completely different people. Since then, Ed had lost his ability to preform alchemy, but in exchange, Al had gotten his body back. All of that happened twenty years ago.

In the time that had passed, Alphonse took to the east and studied with an old friend, May, until realizing they were more than just _friends_. The two married, but never had any children. They were more focused on helping the world, one person at a time. Edward traveled west, but after admitting his affection to his childhood friend, Winry, he quickly returned home to marry her and start a family. Alphonse periodically returned home to check on his family, often bringing exotic toys or recipes for the others to experience.

"Hey everybody! May is in town shopping right now. Since we're staying here again, we plan to cook for all of you tomorrow!" Al grinned and hugged his nieces and nephew.

"Ah yes, Xing cuisine, now I'm really excited!" Ed rubbed his stomach vigorously.

"What? Is my cooking not good enough for you?" Winry teased.

"Don't even try to start that again, Wintry!" Ed playfully bumped his wife with his elbow. "So, Al, how was Xing? Bring anything new back?"

"Well. Um. Kind of. I mean. Yes. But. Um." Al fidgeted with his fingers, slightly turning away from his brother. "The thing is, Brother… uh. Well."

"Spit it out already!" Ed whacked Al on the back of the head out of impatience. The children gasped and laughed at their father's frustration and Winry sighed, mumbling something along the lines of "not this again." After three years, Edward didn't want to listen to his brother fumble over words. He wanted him to speak.

"Okay, okay, but just - just try to stay calm. Don't freak out, okay?" Al rubbed the back of his head where a small lump was forming. "And stop hitting me over the head! I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm thirty-five!"  
"Come on, Uncle Al! What is it?!" Sara pried.

"Alright, alright! I'll be right back." Al grumbled, turned away and walked back down to the car he arrived in. He opened up one of the back doors and leaned in. He seemed to be saying something, but the rest of his family couldn't hear him. They all began to slowly come down the stairs to meet Al. A look of confusion sat on Ed's face. Slowly, his confused expression turned into concern as an odd aura began to radiate from the car.  
"Al… Move." Ed ordered, his voice stern and his fists clenched. He stepped in front of Winry. "Kids, get back."

Ed's children looked to their father. Sara was about to protest, but upon seeing the anger and fear in their father's face, all of the children backed away a few steps. Maes took a fighting stance, as did Sara.

"Brother, there's no need for that, really!" Al stepped away from the car, arms raised defensively. "Please, calm down."

"Ed, what is it?" Winry asked softly.

"I haven't felt something like this since we were under Central." He growled. "It's much, much weaker than that, but it's still a bad feeling."

"Brother, please stop!"

"Al, what did you bring to my home?!"

"_Ugh, can you all please stop shouting_."

Everyone's gaze shifted to the car, trying to see whom the voice came out of. A pair of feet slid onto the ground, but the newcomer's face remained hidden inside the car.

"_That's better. You were giving me a headache_."

"Al… who…?" Ed straightened up.

"Brother, everyone. I'd like you to meet someone very important to me. This is Nina." Al again turned to the car and reached out his hand to whoever was sitting in it. Slowly, he pulled out a girl. With her face down, she stepped away from the car. She was tall and slender with long orange hair. Her hair was loosely pulled back into a long braid and her bangs were left to cover some of her face, but the dark circles under her fiery eyes were still visible. Everyone looked over the girl very slowly. At first glance, she seemed somewhat normal. Her clothing was a bit out of place for the countryside – she was dressed in a loose white shirt that hung off of her shoulders, leather pants and rather chunky black boots. Her hand slowly reached up to scratch her head and Edward took note to how long her nails were. They were painted black and almost dagger like. The girl then grinned at everyone, revealing fangs. She waved.

"Hi there! I'm Nina. I'm sorry about the weird aura. Alphonse said it would freak you out. We're still trying to understand it, ourselves. May seems to think it's because I'm a chimera."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chimerical – Chapter Two: Introductions  
_

After no one responded to her introduction, Nina got frustrated. In Xing, people can sense auras and the pulse of the world, which is how they use alkahestry. Because of some odd aura she had always given off, people avoided her. Al, her new caretaker, had promised her a place where people wouldn't judge her for being a chimera.

"What?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "Can I _help_ you?"

"Nina, please, try not to be so rude." Alphonse patted her on the shoulder.

"What do you mean, rude? Al, do you see the way they are looking at me? I didn't think I'd get this sort of greeting. Maybe I should have gone to the market with May instead." Nina huffed and crossed her arms, pouting.

"Look, Nina, I don't think it's because you're a chimera. Honestly. I told you, my brother has worked with them before. They even helped us get our bodies back and they came with me to Xing. They're just… shocked." Al tried to explain.  
"Shocked?" Nina tilted her head slightly and looked over to the family standing at the other end of the yard. Two of them were men, one of which was Alphonse's brother. The one she assumed to be Edward Elric kept poking the younger one in the chest, a mischievous grin on his face.  
"Hey Maes, go talk to her. You never talk to girls. Come on. Go for it." Edward continued to poke and badger his son. Maes's eyebrow twitched with frustration.  
"I told you, Dad, I'm more focused on my studies." He grumbled through a tight mouth.  
"Hi, kid." Nina squeaked. She stood directly in front of Maes, standing a head shorter than him. She was already very tall, so being able to look up to a guy for once was a shock to her. Maes jumped back quickly and Edward chuckled at his reaction. "What are you mumbling about?"  
"N-nothing. Why are you in my face? And who are you calling_ kid_?" He shot his response at her.  
"I'm just curious, is all! And I'm calling _you _kid, kid." She grinned again, very quickly. Slowly, the Elric family came closer to the chimera.  
"Hi there, Nina. I'm Winry." Winry reached out her hand. Nina grabbed hold and shook it politely.  
"It's nice to meet you!" She said cheerfully.  
"This is my husband, Edward, our son, Maes, our oldest daughter, Sara, and our youngest, Alexis. We're very happy to have you! Are you traveling with Al?" Winry asked, smiling.

"Yes! He's actually been taking care of me."  
"Taking care of you?" Ed spoke up. "You look twenty. Shouldn't you be taking care of yourself?"  
Nina squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "I'm only 17."

"Oh you hear that, Maes!" Edward slapped his son on the back.  
"Shut up, Dad." Maes mumbled.  
"Alright, Nina. I apologize for the rude start to our meeting. But if Al trusts you, I trust you. Mostly. Let me try again. Welcome to the Elric home! I hope you like to eat! We make a lot of food." Edward grinned.  
"What is a chimera, Dad?" Alexis finally spoke up. Everyone felt a slight tension rise in the group, not wanting to offend Nina. Finally, the chimera herself answered.  
"A chimera is a creature made of two different organisms, specifically, animals. Bringing two or more animals together is the common image when the word chimera pops up. But sometimes, a person is mixed with an animal in a lab. It isn't legal, but it happens sometimes. I'm a rare kind of chimera. The only one of my kind, actually. I was born a chimera instead of being created in a lab. My father was a chimera and my mother was a scientist. That makes me… a fourth of an animal instead of half and half." Nina smiled at the young girl.  
"Ohhhh… so… what kind are you?" She asked.

"I'm part fox! I can actually change my outward appearance to make it more obvious that I'm a chimera. Most human chimeras turn into large, half-man, half-beast creatures. I keep most of my human traits since there's less animal within me. Would you like to see me transform sometime? I promise it's not scary." Nina continued to respond to Alexis with warmth and kindness. Alphonse looked at his companion, pleased.  
"Sure!" Alexis said excitedly. Nina laughed.  
"Okay, I'll show you someti-" Suddenly, she cut herself off and spun around. "Everybody _get down_!"  
A kunai knife came flying towards Nina, but she managed to fling it out of the way with her claw-like nails. Winry and Alexis were on the ground in a split second, and Maes and Sara managed to transmute a short wall to protect their kneeling mother and sister. Ed, though unable to use alchemy, had moved to cover Winry from behind. Al, for some reason, had not moved at all.

"What the hell was that?!" Maes shouted.  
"Training time, at this point in the day? Come on, I'm hungry!" Nina whacked her forehead lightly with the palm of her hand.  
"Since you're not in the mood to fight, Nina, how about you take Maes with you? I'm sure he could use some training other than Edward throwing things for him to dodge and deflect." Alphonse chuckled.  
"What do you mean, training?" Ed was still in a battle stance, ready to fight.

"Brother, there is nothing to worry about. You're lucky. Today is May's day to train with Nina. Had it been my turn, we probably would have arrived to the house in a brawl!"

"You guys… train… constantly?" Sara asked slowly.

"Yes. Every day for at least an hour or until I manage to trap whoever I'm training with." Nina responded. "Sara, I would let you train, too, but two on one is already an unfair advantage. Maybe you can fight Alphonse with me tomorrow. Come on, Maes! Get ready!"

"For what?"

"_This!_"  
Maes turned to look for the new voice that had just joined the conversation, but he was met with a foot to the center of his face. He fell backwards. May had finally arrived, and she wasn't going easy on her nephew. Nina lunged forward, clawing at May. She managed to tear her opponent's robes, but May jumped back quickly before any real damage could be done.

"Come on, Maes! You're an alchemist and an Elric. Show our new friend how we fight!" Ed called from the sidelines. Maes nodded and suddenly pulled out a marker. He drew on the palm of his hand and when he extended it outward, a transmutation circle was revealed. Quickly, he found the kunai May had originally thrown at Nina. A split second later and with a small flash of light, he had many, many thin throwing needles instead.  
"Ah, reshaping the metal of the kunai into multiple, smaller weapons. Good move, Maes." May chuckled from somewhere in the distance.  
"You better hope you can throw faster than she can move." Nina whispered.

"Yeah, well, I've done more than you so far. Start pulling your weight." Maes growled at her.

"Oh, you want me to pull my weight? Keep in mind, kid, I fight her every other day. Unlike you, I have experience with this opponent. Experience in combat is more valuable than a few pathetic needles that probably won't even hit her!" Nina hissed.

"Hey! Stop arguing before she reaches you!" Ed yelled.  
May was running towards the two teenagers, kunai knives in hand. She threw them, but neither Maes nor Nina had been touched. Maes looked down at the weapons and scoffed.  
"Seriously, Aunt May? That's it?" Maes rolled his eyes.  
"You idiot!" Nina tackled Maes just in time. May set off one of her bombs a second too late. Kneeling next to Maes, Nina explained. "May fights with alkahestry, not alchemy and not just martial arts and weapons! She can set off these transmuted explosions at a distance by creating matching circles with her kunai."  
"Dammit!" Maes yelled and rolled quickly to the side, pinning Nina beneath him at first and then continuing to roll away with her across the yard.  
"What the –" Nina started to say as another explosion went off. _Damn. May must have managed to land kunai next to us while I was distracted_, she thought. _I need to stay focused_. Nina looked to Maes, who was now crouched on the ground next to her. "Thanks."

"You ready?" He asked.

"Been ready." She responded.

The two charged towards May, who was standing a few meters ahead of them near a tree. Maes had his needles in hand, and Nina took a fighting stance. Maes threw a few needles, but missed May completely. He did manage, however, to get their opponent in a better line of sight for Nina to tackle. The chimera girl lunged, but missed the center of May's body. Thinking quickly, Nina linked arms with May, pulling the older woman with her. She was unable to pull her down or land a blow, but May would also be unable to get far away. Nina crouched quickly as Maes came forward, swinging a mean kick towards May's head. May, however, managed to catch the boy's leg, and throw him to the side. As he was tossed, he spun and began throwing his needles again. One, unexpectedly, cut through the far side of May's clothing, giving her a very small scratch.  
"Oh, goodness. You actually landed a blow Maes. Good job!" May smiled.  
"Thank you, Aunt May. I appreciate tha-" THUD. May had pounced on Maes while he was busy reevaluating what had happened. Stuck in close hand-to-hand combat with someone who was far more advanced that he was, Maes could only attempt to dodge most of his aunt's punches and kicks.  
"Now, kid!" As May was reaching outward to land a punch on Maes's jaw, the boy ducked down and Nina came into view. She grabbed onto May's arm and swung her with as much force as she had. May was unharmed, but she was shoved against the tree she stood in front of earlier. She began to chuckle.  
"Is this it, guys? Really? Come on Nina. I expected more out of you!" May sighed. "Time to end this."

"That's right, May. It is time to end this!" Nina shouted. She slammed her palms onto the ground in front of her. Five needles rested in a transmutation circle that had been dug into the ground. May looked down. She was standing in a small circle of needles, mirroring the one Nina began to transmute with. Before she could move, it was too late. A bright light flashed and once it faded, May was trapped, wrapped in slabs of earth with her arms separated. Nina and Maes were breathing heavily, tired, and May began to laugh again.  
"Great job, you two! I didn't even see Nina set these circles!" Nina broke down the trap she made and leveled out the ground again.  
"It wasn't me, though. Maes managed to do it."  
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd catch on to what I was trying to do. Good team work." Maes extended his arm to Nina.

"You acted quickly. If the rest of you didn't notice, each needle Maes threw lined up with another four to create a circle. Luckily I know a little about alkahestry and was able to pull the same trick as May." Nina took his hand and shook it tightly.  
"You kids fought very well together. I'm honestly surprised! The Elrics typically want to work alone." Ed laughed.

"By "the Elrics," Ed is actually just referring to himself." Winry chuckled. Nina and Maes glanced at each other, grinning and still breathing heavily.  
"You guys could probably use something to drink and a good meal. Who's hungry?" Edward asked the group.

"Starved." Nina said.

"Same." Maes agreed with her, nodding.  
"I could eat a horse." Sara's stomach grumbled.

"You look like you already did."

"Shut up, Alexis!"

"Mom! Sara told me to shut up!"  
"Girls, stop fighting. Let's set the table and get the guest rooms ready for our family." Winry smiled.

Nina smiled, too. Listening to the siblings argue and how the parents communicated with their children gave her a warm sensation in her chest. She reached up and placed a hand on a small necklace she wore, hidden beneath her shirt. It had a flat silver and gold yin yang pendant on it; one Alphonse had given her last year to celebrate the anniversary of when they found her, or her "birth." She looked to May and Al to see them waiting for her at the front door. They beckoned for her to join them.  
"Welcome to the family, Nina." Alphonse said softly.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chimerical - Chapter Three: After-Dinner Discussions  
_

"Ahh~" Nina sighed happily, slouching in her chair at the dinner table, patting her slightly exposed stomach. "That was fantastic. Thank you, Winry!"

"It's not a problem at all! I'm glad you enjoyed it." Winry smiled as she took away a few dishes from the table.

"No, no, Winry let us do that!" May stood up and took the dishes from the hostess.  
"You don't have to! The kids usually do them anyway!" Winry laughed.

"In that case, I'll help the kids do dishes. How's that?" Nina stood up. "I can't really repay you for that delicious meal. The least I can do is help clean up."

"Well… if you insist…" Winry handed over the remaining dishes she held.  
"Maes, darling, help Nina out. You two can take care of washing, drying and putting the dishes away tonight on your own. The girls and I will be making the beds and preparing the guest room. Nina, would you like to sleep in the guest room with Al and May or… Maybe in the girls' room?" Winry asked.  
"Um… I'll just stay out here, on the couch. Is that okay?" Nina's face turned slightly red. "I'll be totally fine down here. I toss a lot and sometimes even talk in my sleep, so I won't bother anyone if I'm out here!"  
"How about we give her the empty patients' room?" Ed spoke up.

"Oh, that works. I keep forgetting we even have that thing since my main customer shares a room with me." Winry smiled. "I'll show you to the room whenever you're done with the dishes."  
As Nina followed Maes into the kitchen to clean up, Sara and Alexis went to the guest room and began making the bed and stocking the extra bathroom with supplies. While the children went to work, the adults had time to talk.  
"So, Al, how long has she been traveling with you?" Edward asked.  
"About a year and a half now." Alphonse looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her sooner, brother. We didn't know if she was going to stay with us long. She likes to disappear occasionally. Run off to a random town, do some odd jobs. But for some reason, she always managed to come back to us. Nina is a strange one, that's for sure."  
"What do you mean?" Winry spoke up.  
"Well. She's a chimera. That's odd to begin with. She's very outspoken and independent. Her past is chaotic as well. We believe she might have worked at a brothel for a short amount of time, but we're not entirely sure. If she did, it was because she didn't have anywhere else to go. She was abandoned around age ten. We found her at fifteen. There's so much that can happen in five years, brother. We know that."  
"There's something else, though. Isn't there, Al? You mentioned something you needed help with in your last letter." Ed responded, his face growing concerned.  
"Yes. We need to find someone who knows more about biological alchemy. For some reason, Nina goes into these… these _fits_. She blacks out. She becomes this animal, running around, attacking anything or anyone that frights her or comes after her. We're worried, Edward. We don't want her to kill someone accidentally. We don't know how to control the fits. Nina usually sleeps for a day or so after an incident and she typically doesn't remember anything that happened."  
"She's a werewolf~" Ed's eyes shone with excitement until Winry whacked him over the head while mumbling about how "this isn't a joke."  
"Brother, we're planning on tracking down the team that helped create Nina. We might be able to find her parents, too. We have no idea if they're dead or alive. We don't know their names. Nothing. The problem is…"  
"A chimera going on a rampage isn't a problem already?" Ed said sarcastically before he got whacked again. Alphonse sighed.  
"Brother, the problem is, May and I are needed in Xing. There's been an outbreak of a disease that is harming the youth throughout Xing and we can't stand by and not _try_ to help. Since we have nowhere to really start looking for information, we thought we'd send Nina to Central to see some of our old friends. But we can't go with her. We were wondering if you would accompany her, Ed." Alphonse finished, staring deep into his brother's golden eyes. Edward was taken aback, not expecting something like this to be asked of him. He ran a hand through his hair.  
"Alphonse, I can't. I can't preform alchemy anymore. But even if I could, I'm needed here. I'm a full-time chemistry teacher. I don't want to leave my wife again. And I've got three kids now. Two little girls and a young man who needs to – oh shit." Ed stopped for a moment.  
"What is it?" May asked.  
"I've got a young man who needs to get out of the house and see the world!" Ed stood up with excitement. "Maes will go with her! It'll be perfect. He knows alchemy. He's smart as hell, Al, you know that. He can go meet all our old friends and even look into a career for himself. And you know he's been looking to get his title as a state alchemist. I'm more than supporting of that choice since they're educators and peacekeepers rather than human weapons now. It's perfect!"  
Back in the kitchen, Nina and Maes were silently doing dishes, attempting to listen in on the conversation the adults were having in the next room over. Well, Maes was trying to listen. Nina, on the other hand, could hear every word because of her animal side. But even if she didn't have fox hearing to help her, she already knew what Alphonse was saying. They had discussed it on the way to Resembool from Xing. She perked up, however, at Edward's suggestion.  
"Have you ever been to Central?" She asked quietly as she rinsed the bubbles of a plate.  
"No." Maes responded. "Why?"

"Just wondering. I haven't been, either. How about any other big cities?"  
"No. I don't really leave home. Mom and Dad, well… Dad traveled a lot when he was younger. I'm sure you've heard about his journey with Alphonse."  
"Yeah, to get their bodies restored." Nina said.  
"Right." Maes continued. "Well, after all that, and after they were restored, they went exploring for about two years. Dad had been gone a long time in between the time he proposed to my mom and when he got back. After hearing all that as a child, you would expect me to want to travel young, too, to be like my dad."  
Nina nodded, following along.  
"But I didn't. His stories scared the shit out of me. He was a kid. A child out there on his own, looking after someone else. And he didn't have a family. I wasn't going to lose what he fought so hard for just because the world seems interesting. Sara and Alexis see heroes and stories of amazing battles when it comes to what happened with Dad. I get anxious. Like now, I can hardly breathe. The number of people he's seen die is horrific. I've never seen a dead person. I've never even been to a funeral. My only grandmother was gone before I could even remember. It was just. Too. Much."  
"It's okay. I understand. Your dad and Alphonse did everything they could to build a family. Why not enjoy what they couldn't as children? And you need to breathe, kid. Inhale slowly. Look at me. Calm down." Nina gently rubbed up and down Maes's back with the palm of her hand. He was gripping the plate she had handed off to him. He was staring into space, completely silent. He didn't even blink. The only part of his body that moved were his hands as they shook slightly. Finally, he took a deep, gasping breath. "You good? Do you want something to drink or to sit down?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I'm sorry about that. Don't tell my dad. He doesn't deal with my anxiety well." Maes put the plate away finally. "Thanks for calming me down, though."  
"No problem. I get freaked sometimes, too. Just over different things. It's normal. Let's talk about something else." Nina's hopes of traveling with someone her age were starting to fade. "So who taught you alchemy?"  
"Uncle Alphonse taught me a little, but mostly it was my dad. He can't preform alchemy anymore, it's true – but when he could, he was one of the greatest alchemists of his time. He's a strange but good teacher. I think he stole some teaching techniques from his own teacher, Izumi."  
"Oh, that's cool! Al told me a lot about when they were kids and went traveling. He said Edward used to be so short, but he seems to be pretty average now." Nina gave Maes a sly look. "So, how tall are you?"  
"Erm, well. Uh…" Maes blushed slightly, mumbling on and looking away from Nina.  
"I can't hear you." Maes mumbled some more. "Speak up!"  
"About two meters. Just below, actually." His face became even more red, smirking a bit. "I like how tall I am. Especially since I know dad's old friends still call him short just to mess with him. They can't do that to me, though. What about you? You're way taller than most girls around here."  
"Damn, and I thought I was the giant. I'm around 175 centimeters. I can never wear heels if I ever go out with a guy. I'm usually as tall as them without the extra height!" Nina laughed.  
"Well, how about this, while we're in Central, you can wear heels all you want. You won't be even close to my height." Maes smiled.  
"So, you could hear them?" Nina's face darkened slightly, worried that Maes might break down again.  
"Yeah, sort of. I couldn't really hear the places they mentioned. You confirmed that it was Central for me. Fits of rage, huh? So you go on a rampage and I'll curl up in a corner and hyperventilate." Maes laughed. Nina giggled a little, too.  
"Oh, we're quiet the team, aren't we, Mr. Giant?"  
"Oh, that we are, Ms. Fox." Maes grinned.


End file.
